UMW Intern Adventures

Meghan McLees, majoring in Psychology
Youth Life Foundation of Richmond

I found my internship through using our Handshake, a job and internship platform that the UMW Career Center provides to students and alumni. After I learned more about the organization and its dedication to low-economic neighborhoods in the Richmond area, and its purpose to provide extra help and resources to those kids, I knew how important it would be to be a part of a child’s relationship with the school. One of the key parts of my internship is working in small groups with the children in reading and math. I learned to create lesson plans designed to the children’s needs. When creating my first lesson plan, it was hard because I had not yet met some of the students and was not sure what topics they were struggling with. Read more

Evelyn Tillinghast, majoring in History
Yarmouth History Center

I have always been interested in history. From a young age, I loved reading and learning about the cultures of the past, but I didn’t know how I could best apply this in the form of a career. Usually, whenever I told someone I was a history major, they would ask me whether I wanted to be a history teacher or not, which led me to think for a while that the only thing that could be done with a history degree is teaching.I never liked the idea of standing in front of a group of people and presenting in school, and frankly, the idea of doing the same thing for the rest of my life terrified me. Because of that, I wasn’t sure for a while if I even wanted to remain a history major, so I started researching different careers and I came across archive work. It seemed reasonably quiet, and I would Read more

Kathryn Toigo majoring in Business Administration/minoring in Economics
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

I knew I would have to do an internship for my degree program, but I had no clue what I wanted to do and where to find opportunities. Throughout this past spring semester, I applied for numerous internships on Handshake, a site similar to LinkedIn. Handshake is a great career site because employers are on the site to exclusively hire college students for jobs and internships. Handshake lets you post your classes, extracurriculars, projects, skills, and even a copy of your resume for employers to see. It also allows you to apply for these job and internships right through the site. Read more

Megan Edwards, majoring in Conservation Biology
Diva Crows

This summer finds me interning at Diva Crows, a small songbird rehabilitation organization located in Alexandria, Virginia. I’m going to use this post to share a typical day for me as an intern with this organization.
My day usually starts at around 11 AM, though sometimes I come in earlier to help when there is no one available in the early morning to feed the babies…birds that is! There is always one other intern there with me in the morning, and we begin by cleaning all of the cages and feeding any hatchlings, nestlings, or juveniles that we have in the bird room currently. We use doggy pee pads in all of our cages so they’re pretty quick and easy to change out. Once all of that is done we start with feeding. Read more

Olivia Lewis, majoring in Political Science
Abigail Spanberger’s Campaign

My internship is working on the campaign for Abigail Spanberger’s reelection to Congress in 2022. Being a political science major, I wanted to find an internship in which I would engage in politics and meet politicians. This particular internship was mentioned by one of my professors and I jumped on the opportunity to apply for a position that was not only close to the University of Mary Washington and home, but it was also for a local female politician. Once I knew I was accepted into the internship I was ecstatic knowing that I would be working and helping with a campaign. Within my first two weeks, I was able to meet Abigail at an office opening party and I knew from that moment that I had made the right decision to intern for this campaign. She is a coalition builder, she is qualified, she is willingly to work nonpartisan to accomplish important tasks and she is a “regular person” who is there for her constituents. Read more

Delaney Dunnigan, majoring in American Studies
James Monroe Museum

My internship journey so far has been chock-full of irreplicable experiences. While I was originally supposed to work with a different museum, due to many reasons they are no longer hosting their internship program for this summer. However, the James Monroe Museum has kindly taken me under their wing and let me explore so many opportunities that I never would have been able to otherwise.

My supervisor, Lindsey Crawford, has allowed me to explore my interests in Indigenous Studies in the museum field. I have been able to plan the Native American History Month’s content for this year, which has been exciting and challenging. Read more

Noah Adcock-Howeth, majoring in Business Administration
Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League (CPL)

This summer I am working as the play-by-play broadcast intern for the Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League (CPL). The Coastal Plain League is a summer baseball league for premier college players to gain experience in the grind of everyday baseball while honing their skills and attempting to draw the attention of scouts for future contracts. Leagues like this one are all over the country, with varying degrees of size and talent level, but the CPL is located primarily in the Carolinas and is one of the top 2-3 leagues in the nation.

While I’ve been around baseball as a player or coach since I was about five years old, this was my first summer stepping away from the ballfield and into the front office. It was also my first endeavor into baseball broadcasting. While I do the play-by-play for fall and winter sports at Mary Washington, being a member of the UMW Baseball team prevents and excludes me from calling my own games.Read more

Brianna D’Albis, Business Administration (Marketing) major
All In Solutions and Spotsylvania Farmers Market

I am an intern for not one but two organizations this summer!

My first internship is as a Marketing Intern at All In Solutions in May. AIS is a veteran and woman-owned small business specializing in advancing clients’ business objectives and fueling innovation quickly and accurately through managed services, IT solutions, and strategic initiatives.
As their Marketing Intern, I am in charge of three projects this summer: to design a new business card, revamp the company’s presence on social media platforms, and redesign the website. I started work on the new business cards since AIS had several new employees starting in June. I love working on graphic design projects, and this one was no different. I was able Read more

Laura Solis Ulloa, Anthropology major
Downtown Greens Fredericksburg

Having the opportunity to be a Garden Education Intern with Downtown Greens here in the city of Fredericksburg has been a gift. The intern position for me has revolved around assisting with the Downtown Greens’ summer camps as well as assisting with their Youth Farm Program. At this point, I have had the chance to learn, play, and teach alongside different children, and garden educators.Read more

Sophia Ferens, majoring in Environmental Science
Huntley Meadows Park

This summer, I’ve had the pleasure of working as an intern at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia. I first learned about this position on Handshake, as I was desperately searching for an internship that related to my environmental science degree and would give me useful skills for my future career, and this internship seemed almost too good to be true. Thankfully, I didn’t hit my head and dream it up and I’ve been enjoying my time at Huntley Meadows ever since. Read more

Hannah Abraham, majoring in Sociology
Regional Food Bank

This summer, I’m interning at the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The food bank is committed to ending hunger and food insecurity in the city of Fredericksburg and surrounding regions. This is my very first internship, and so far it has been more rewarding than I ever imagined it could be.

I have the opportunity to help with this summer’s “Summer Feeding” program. I’m also in charge of distributing “food preference” surveys which allow people to share their food preferences based on ethnic or cultural preferences. These past couple of months at the food bank have been eye-opening, educational, and rewarding.Read more

 

 

Emma Dabolt, majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Rappahannock Council against Sexual Assault (RCASA)

I began my internship with RCASA this spring and will be continuing working with them for the duration of the summer. RCASA is a non-profit organization which works in Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas to provide both direct support to survivors of sexual assault and to support people indirectly impacted by sexual violence, such as friends or family. When I was searching for internships, I knew I wanted to work with an organization somehow related to my major, which is Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Read more

 

 

Clare Lewis, Majored in History
Happy Erasmus Bilbao

Interning abroad was not my first choice. Before the pandemic struck, I dreamed of studying abroad in Spain. I had seen pictures of the Universidad de Deusto, in all its neoclassical glory seated by the sparkling estuary that divides Bilbao neatly in half. My mind conjured images of taking notes in lecture halls with vaulted ceilings, interacting with the quirky yet fashionable student populace, and roaming the nearby city streets. Read more

Patrick Smedley, majoring in Business Administration
The Hoop Group

I found my internship with The Hoop Group thanks to help from my teammate and my assistant coach of the UMW men’s basketball team. My teammate, Riley, did this internship last year and has mentioned how beneficial it was for him to be at events and begin networking for his desire to start a career in coaching. That had immediately piqued my interest for a potential sports management internship to complete the last part of my sports management minor. Read more

New posts will be shared every week; check back regularly for more from our UMW interns!

The students who are telling their stories here all applied for, and received, internship grants from UMW. For more information on upcoming grant cycles, deadlines, and criteria, please contact the Career Center or give us a call at 540-654-5646, or stop by the Center for Career and Professional Development (UC Suite 206) to make an appointment. For quick and easy questions, feel free to email us at ccpd@umw.edu.